Welcome to NextChapter! We are so excited for you to get started with the program.
To get started, we recommend viewing the following materials to get a feel for how NextChapter works.
NextChapter Refresher goes over a case from start to finish. You will learn how to fill out all sections of NextChapter and how to file. This is a good starting point: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nextchapter-refresher-7
Filing Bootcamp goes over the Download & Print section and Review & File section. You will learn how to successfully electronically file your case: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/filing-bootcamp-5
Account Settings goes over how to make sure your account settings are set up correctly. Having your account settings set up is crucial for filing your case and getting the most out of NextChapter: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/account-settings
Income Training goes over how to fill out the income section, which populates both Schedule I and the means test. NextChapter has several different ways to successfully enter income, and this provides a deep dive: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/income-training
Once you watch these videos, you can also explore our help center. We provide hundreds of articles about every section of NextChapter that you are able to search with key words: https://help.nextchapterbk.com/en/
As you are getting started, it is also important to add your ECF/bar credentials to My Account Settings > My User Profile. This is how NextChapter will login to the court ECF website to file your case. Make sure the credentials entered into the ECF section in My Account Settings are the same you use to login to your court to file cases.
Once you add your ECF login, password, and bar number, you will be able to select your attorney profile in Client Profile > Filing Information. The attorney profile selected in this dropdown lets the software know which credentials to use when logging into the court website to file:
It is best to work your way down the tabs in NextChapter from top to bottom. Each tab contains different entries that will populate throughout the schedules.
When working in the Means Test section, you need to make sure you have this question answered in Means Test > Means Test Questions or it will incorrectly calculate the means test:
In Means Test > Means Test Review, you can review the questions in the means test forms:
You can navigate between the two forms, the lines of the form, and the orange ? will contain a help article link with how to answer the questions, and the revisit tab will take you back to the section where the information populated from.
Frequently viewed articles:
How to include the Statement of Social Security form (121) with your filing since NextChapter does not store the full social in the app: https://help.nextchapterbk.com/en/articles/119167-form-121-statement-of-social-security
How to download/print schedules and forms: https://help.nextchapterbk.com/en/articles/4319713-download-print-forms-schedules
Filing a case through NextChapter: https://help.nextchapterbk.com/en/articles/455165-filing-a-case-with-ecf-through-nextchapter
Income entry articles:
Schedule C in a joint case: https://help.nextchapterbk.com/en/articles/4796185-why-is-my-schedule-c-showing-two-schedule-c-s-in-a-joint-case
When you are working through your case, make sure to utilize the orange "Preview" button to view the schedules as you are plugging in information to the NextChapter sections. This will allow you to make sure the information is populating into the schedules as needed.
